Grid Chicago is a blog about sustainable transportation matters, projects and culture in Chicago and Illinois, by John Greenfield and Steven Vance since June 2011. We switched to writing at Streetsblog Chicago in January 2013.

Chicago Bike Guide app - The Chicago Bike Guide is the best way to navigate Chicago's vast network of bikeways and cool destinations. Get trip directions, find available Divvy bikes and docks, read The Chainlink, Tumblr, and Twitter, all giving you the perfect view of getting around by bike in Chicago. The app works on iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Android phones and tablets.

“Stop for Pedestrians” signs show up in Andersonville and Lincoln Park

[flickr]photo:7455165348[/flickr]

Photos taken at Clark and Olive by Kevin Zolkiewicz.

Kevin Zolkiewicz posted photos this morning of Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) workers installing new signs at Clark Street and Olive Avenue, and Clark Street and Summerdale Avenue, that inform drivers that they must stop for pedestrians in crosswalks. He adds:

These signs were added to this year’s list of menu items that alderman can select as part of their discretionary budget. Expect more to pop up around Chicago very soon.

This means that any alderman can use their annual $1.3 million “menu” fund to install these in the ward, alongside benches, bike lanes, street resurfacing, and a variety of other capital projects. Zolkiewicz went on to say why the signs are being installed:

State law was changed in July 2010 to require drivers to stop, and not just yield, to pedestrians in unsignalized crosswalks. But most drivers in Chicago haven’t gotten the message. These signs have been shown to increase compliance with the law.

The first of 19 signs in the 43rd ward (Michelle Smith) was installed on Thursday, June 28, at 1700 N Stockton Drive, according to Bike Walk Lincoln Park. Other streets in the ward to receive them will be Lincoln Avenue, Clark Street, Diversey Avenue and Belden Avenue (see exact locations).

Two intersections in the 47th ward (Ameya Pawar) will be installed this year, at Addison Avenue and Hoyne Avenue, and Addison Avenue at Hermitage Avenue. View a list of other projects in the ward that will funded by the alderman’s discretionary “menu” funds (.pdf).

Updated June 28, 2012, at 21:12, to add news of this sign being installed in other wards.

29 thoughts on ““Stop for Pedestrians” signs show up in Andersonville and Lincoln Park”

I wish they’d put some along Ashland just west of those locations. The amount of scared pedestrians (including myself) I see at Ashland & Catalpa, Olive, Edgewater, Berwyn, and Summerdale is pretty bad. Traffic on Clark does a pretty good job of stopping at the crosswalks. Ashland is another story entirely. If they don’t want people crossing there, they should remove the crosswalks at those non-light streets.

If marked crosswalks were removed, “unmarked” crosswalks would legally still exist as long as the sidewalks extended to the curb and essentially pointed at each other.
It’s up to the alderman to decide how to use the funds. You could ask.
The alderman for all of those streets is different than the one for Clark Street. It’s Patrick O’Connor, 40th ward.

$800 per intersection. It’s one of the cheapest items on the menu. Contact your alderman to encourage him or her to request them. It might be too late for this year, but they can at least include it in the 2013 menu requests.

Cool. The signs are a good reminder to drivers, and they make it easier to see the crosswalks. In a place like Andersonville, where it feels like there is a crosswalk every 20 feet, it’s easy to be confused about where they are — especially since people jaywalk despite the numerous crosswalks. You also have to watch people and figure out what they’re going to do by the time you’re at the crosswalk, since the sidewalks always have a lot of people on them. The signs allow drivers to see the crosswalks from further away, which helps them to figure out whether they need to stop as they approach. I also feel like the signs make the drivers behind me less angry when I stop at a crosswalk (And less likely to swerve around me).

The only drawback is that I have seen confused drivers stop for these signs when there is nobody in the crosswalk or anywhere near it (this happens in Evanston).

I want one of these on Division at the Paulina Street intersection. People exit off the freeway and head west. At first, Division is two lanes in each direction. At Ashland, it starts to narrow to one lane in each direction. All the motorists want to be at the front of the line. And you’d think they absolutely HAVE to catch that green light at Wood, or they will literally die – hence the urgency to zoom down that residential stretch at maximum speed.

Bike Walk Lincoln Park asked Alderman Michele Smith to commit menu funds to install these all over our ward, and she agreed to about 15 locations, so look for them (hopefully) soon, mostly on Clark Street, Lincoln Avenue, and Stockton Drive.

We didn’t ask for these signs on Clark between Armitage and North, as they work best when there are only two lanes of moving traffic. You may have heard we’re advocating for bigger changes on that stretch.

A brief and completely unscientific observation of the intersection tonight made it clear that even in Andersonville drivers are unsure of the law in Illinois. A few drivers came to a complete stop with no pedestrians nearby.
Any idea what will happen with these in the winter?

I don’t think winter destroys these as much as errant drivers. The ones at UIC on Harrison Street have been replaced at least once, I believe. Although I don’t go through there often enough to give better information.

Alderman Osterman’s newsletter touted the installation of these signs on Clark. Too bad he called them “Yield to Pedestrian” signs and that “These signs remind drivers that it is law to yield to pedestrians”
I think it is painfully clear that this law requires a better education effort, so that drivers and elected officials actually know what the law says.

It’s been almost a week now since the signs were installed and I have had various chances to test out and observe it’s effectiveness.
Conclusion: They work as intended. Drivers are much more inclined to stop for pedestrians trying to cross the intersection. And I feel a lot safer crossing at intersections with the signs installed.
Some drivers are confused whether they need to stop when there are no pedestrians present, and as a result cars might stop even if they don’t have to, but overall I consider this a big improvement

It may be a little selfish (since it impacts me almost every day), and it might still be a little early, but I think we have a candidate for best safety improvement in Chicago for 2012